/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>34139260
"Come on Lady Kanako, she's expecting us by now."

"Geeeeeh..."

"None of that, you of all people should know that these important moments in a person's life are when they'll be capable of giving the most faith, and will impact how they give faith in the future, you should be excited at this prospect."

Kanako said nothing, as she flew beside Sanae, the young girl leading her through the sky to their destination. Sanae was right, the umbrella they were heading towards was a fantastic source of faith, and if all went well there would be no doubt she'd continue to give them faith for years to come, but still... Constantly hearing about married life, the joys of romance, having a loving husband to cuddle and return to every night, or... other things that made Kanako blush at the thought of. Things she had always dreamed of, desired, but never had.

It was funny, Kanako was always seen as this calm, collected, and cunning god, but somehow this weak youkai managed to make her seize up every time.

"Ah, we're here!" A small building came into view, along the outskirts of the human village. It was quaint, cute even, with a shop attached to it. No doubt a wonderful place to have a family and raise a child in...

"Alright Lady Kanako," Sanae said as the two landed. "I'll wait outside, you head in there and give it your best!" She beamed, giving a fantastic saleswoman smile, no doubt one she had given to plenty of the Moriya faithful before. Kanako begrudgingly nodded, and headed inside the cozy abode.

"Hello, anyone home? Is now a good time?" Kanako called into the house as she entered, hoping for silence. Instead, she heard a voice beckoning her into another room. As Kanako headed in, she took a quick examination of the home's decorations, sepia photographs on the wall of Kogasa and her husband, admittedly very fine-crafted metalwork with umbrellas adorning the sides, it felt like the epitome of a young couple's household. Moriya shrine was her irreplaceable home with Sanae and Suwako, but she had always wondered what it'd be like there if she had...

Kanako entered a bedroom, the lighting warm from a mechanical lamp. There laid Kogasa in bed, late into her pregnancy, with her husband by her side holding her arm. Kanako had never asked why he had a mechanical arm, but it looked highly sophisticated. Well, it was a story for another time. "Come in Miss Lady Kanako, come in! It's wonderful to see you again ma'am!" Despite being pregnant and bed-bound for most of the day, the tone in her voice was just as young and upbeat as it had always been. The blue-haired youkai turned to her husband. "You gotta head out now, prayers between someone and their goddess need to be one-on-one, just like wishes!" That wasn't necessarily true, but Kanako didn't object. It was already awkward enough dealing with just the wife. Kogasa's husband chuckled as he bowed to Kanako, and took his leave, heading to the kitchen to prepare food.

"So, how are things going with you this time, all well?" Kanako asked, putting on her best smile. "No doubt you're excited this pregnancy is nearing it's end, correct?"

"Of course, I'll be excited to be able to get back up and walking again, haha! You have no idea how hard it is to keep trying to surprise my husband like this, but Kogasa is resourceful!" Kogasa's smile as wide as she recalled all the times she had to shake her husband awake from sleep to surprise him. It was a bit cheap, but it worked. "And the blessings you've given me for a smooth pregnancy feel like they've been working wonderfully, I can't thank you enough for them!"

Kanako smiled. In truth, these blessings were ones she had never given out before, and were far out of her area of expertise. It took a lot of practice and prep to give them out, and she was overall proud of the result. "I'm sure you're ready for a blessing for a smooth delivery soon as well?"

"Ah, of course! But first, I wanted to ask you something!" Kanako cringed, bracing full well for another one of Kogasa's long winded stories about her and her husband's lovey-dovey tales.

Instead, the umbrella leaned to her side, and pulled out a small purple box. "... Eh?"

"Well, come on over! It's for you!"

Kanako walked closer to the side of Kogasa's bed, where she was handed the box. An offering? Sanae was supposed to handle collecting these types of donations... As Kanako opened it though, she saw inside a fascinating piece of jewelry. A silver necklace, composed of snakes interconnected with one another. The craftsmanship seemed unmatched, as the eyes of scales of each snake was detailed. "Kogasa, what is this for?"